This week I am starting my last book called, Inside the Dementia Epidemic- A daughter's memoir by Martha Stettinius.
Since this book is written in first person, Martha Stettinius is the narrator. Martha and her family live in an unusual, planned community, a development of more than thirty families. For seven years Martha coped with her mother's dementia. She cared for her at her home, in assisted living, a rehab center, a specialized memory care facility, and the nursing home. She had a hard time understanding what her mother was going through. Doctors diagnosed Martha's mother, Judy, when she repeatedly drove into a ditch. Sometimes she would miss the block by the doctor's office and sometimes she would lose her way. Judy also showed signs of vascular dementia (multiinfarct dementia) from small strokes at age sixty-five. Martha decided to do research on what Alzheimer's is and how she can help her mom. She wrote this book that I am currently reading to help guide people through the experience of Alzheimer's. She hopes to help support relatives by sharing her journey of discovery, as well as the resources she used during the past seven years.
As Inside the Dementia Epidemic states, One in eight people over age sixty-five in the US has Alzheimer's disease, and nearly fifty percent over age eighty-five. In 2012, an estimated 5.4 million people in the US will have Alzheimer's disease. The 35.6 million people with dementia worldwide in 2010 is expected to double by 2030 to 65.7 million, and then nearly double again by 2050 to 115.4 million. In the US in 2011, over 15 million family caregivers provided 17.4 billion hours of unpaid car to family members and friends with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Dementia can be defined as a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental process caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning. Dementia is not only Alzheimer's (the most common, at sixty to eighty percent), but a diagnosis includes over one hundred conditions.
Familial Alzheimer's- "early onset" dementia- occurs before the age of sixty, and represents 5-7 percent of Alzheimer's disease.
Mixed Dementia- been shown in autopsies to occur in up to 45 percent of people with dementia.
The Alzheimer's Association describes 7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease:
Stage 1: Normal functioning. The person's doctor, family, and friends cannot detect a problem.
Stage 2: Very mild cognitive decline, which may be normal aging or early dementia. The person may forget words or where to find objects. No symptoms can be detected by a doctor, family, or friends.
Stage 3: Mild cognitive decline. Sometimes Alzheimer's can be diagnosed at this stage. A doctor, family, or friends may notice problems with memory or concentration. The person may: have noticeable problems coming up with the right word or name, have trouble remembering names when introduced to new people, have noticeably greater difficulty preforming tasks in social or work settings, forget material they just read, lose or misplace a valuable object, and/or have increasing trouble with planning or organizing.
Stage 4: Moderate cognitive decline. Mild or early-stage Alzheimer's disease. A cognitive assessment by a doctor should be able to detect this stage.
Stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline. Moderate or mid-stage Alzheimer's disease.
Stage 6: Severe cognitive decline. Moderately severe or mid-stage Alzheimer's disease.
Stage 7: Very Severe cognitive decline. Severe or late-stage Alzheimer's disease.
This quote connects to me because my grandmother was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 of Alzheimer's: mild cognitive decline. Although she is not my mother, she is the next closest thing to one. I have always been close with my grandmother. Some people aren't fortunate enough to have grandparents in their lives but I am. My grandmother was diagnosed when we sent her to a doctor because she had a hard time remember names, would get names in our family wrong, and often forget where she put stuff. Her Alzheimer's is not bad but as she gets older I fear she will get worse. This connects to me because when I get the chance I help her out. She lives an hour away from my family and I, so it is hard to help her out all the time. However, my grandfather is still alive and he helps her with all her needs. Another thing I fear in the near future is if my grandfather, for some reason, ends up passing before my grandmother. My grandmother (nana), is not mentally and physically able to drive. Therefore, she won't be able to get around to the places she needs to go. Another connection I found is that if her Alzheimer's worsens my mother will make her move in with us. Just like Martha did with her mother. Alzheimer's is hard on the family it effects but it is better to help the individual then let them suffer by themselves.
 |
| https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=alzheimer%27s |
No comments:
Post a Comment